Lollipop
by Jugbean
Summary: A pointless fic in an empty Classroom 5-2 after school. Tomoyo consults Eriol's help in a few Math questions, and it is also then when Eriol learns the significance of a lollipop.


Cardcaptor Sakura

Lollipop

It was another one of those typical lazy cool afternoons showered upon Tomoeda.

It was a bliss, considering it was a Friday, and school was released much early for Tomoeda Elementary School. The breeze played exceptionally so in Classroom 5-2, and twirled the dark azure-colored tendrils of a particular blue-eyed boy that tickled his equally matching blue eyes.

Eriol Hiiragizawa sat in his seat, propped up with another thick English novel in his hands. It was beginning to become a habit for him to finish his storybooks in school every now and then when he found the opportunity to. He had always found the quiet atmosphere of the classroom comforting, and the hustles and bustles of after-school activities were always soothing, too.

For a moment, he lost himself in the world of Mozart. It was an interesting book about how a man had seemingly believed to have discovered yet another sacred work of the ancient composer, and had been sought relentlessly by wealth-hungry men thereafter. It was another one of those deeply woven novels that Eriol liked best.

He was broken from his reverie when his sharp ears pricked at the sound of light footsteps. He had known his way around Tomoeda enough to remember that as Tomoyo Daidouji's. Somehow, the privilege of being Sakura's friend had trained him to catalogue it in his brain as well.

He looked up just in time to see the slightly out-of-breath Tomoyo walking into the room with backpack on her back. Her cheeks colored pink after seemingly climbing up the stairway in a hasty rush, and she now made quick pace to her desk.

She didn't even notice Eriol until she sat down and heard a muffled cough behind.

Eriol gave a slight smile to see Tomoyo turn around instantly with widened eyes. It had been a politely intentional cough to wake her out from her seemingly busy trance.

Tomoyo's eyes softened instantly upon recognition. Eriol bowed his head apologetically. They were always this well mannered and distant towards each other. "Gomen ne, Daidouji-san. I hope I have not scared you."

She gave a reassuring wave, a matching smile for it, too, "It's alright. Good afternoon, Hiiragizawa-kun."

"Same to you, too, Daidouji-san." What a polite game strangers would always weave upon conversation.

Tomoyo instantly settled down at her desk and unzipped her backpack in a hurry. Eriol bent slightly to catch hint of whatever she was busy with. After all, Tomoyo seldom looked out of place and breath like that.

The raven-haired lady took out a few worksheets and a pen, and hurriedly got down to work. Eriol had to squint his eyes.

"Daidouji-san?" He asked gently.

"Hai?" It was a semi-conscious, vague reply.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your concentration, but is there a test we have to mug tomorrow? I'm afraid it's Saturday, isn't it?" Eriol found it strange that his rival in academy was hastily working on Math sums at this moment.

"Oh, no. I had trouble finishing my homework last night. Tereda-sensei is waiting for my homework now." Tomoyo replied softly, absorbed in completing her sums.

Eriol looked puzzled. It was utterly strange of the entitled Epitome of Female Academy Genius of Tomoeda Elementary to rush on a piece of homework last minute.

She seemed to sense his reaction despite not facing him directly. "I had another competition yesterday evening. It didn't end until late at night. I really couldn't find the time to complete my homework."

Eriol settled back down easily on his chair, picking up his novel again. No wonder. Not lifting his eyes again, they focused on those Times New Romans font once more.

"Sou desuka." A deep baritone voice.

There was a long period of silence thereafter, two sheer strangers in an empty classroom seated back and forth of each other, two academic geniuses in their own world of knowledge - one in attainment of satisfaction from a book, another in attainment of acquiring answers to Math sums in a hurry.

There was only the scratching of Tomoyo's pencil that hemmed the atmosphere of the room, but Eriol found it non-distracting in the least.

The blue-eyed boy was on the verge of discovering who was the mastermind in wanting to steal Mozart's work when he felt a pair of eyes gazing at him. He found his head snapping up eventually.

Amethyst eyes stared into blue.

He offered the usual concerned look he gave to Sakura when she looked upset, "Is something the matter, Daidouji-san?"

She looked flustered, apologetic - such a combination of expression that kicked a sense of amusement deep in Eriol.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Hiiragizawa-kun, but I thought…" She looked as if she had trouble phrasing her question. Eriol thought she looked pretty much in a difficult position, and her questioning eyes made him decide to assist her a little bit.

"Take your time, Daidouji-san." He said gently.

He found the crimson flushes sewn upon her cheeks even more amusing.

"I was wondering if you could help me with a math question I am not really sure how to do." Tomoyo held up the working sheet in her hands, staring down thoughtfully at it again. "I've been trying for quite some time, but each time, my answer does not seem right." Her eyes implored Eriol's. "If it is not too troublesome, do you think you can help me?"

Eriol felt himself smiling back. Perhaps it was the influence of her hopeful gaze or whatsoever, but Eriol thought it was impossible to resist a favor from Sakura's closest friend.

"Of course, Daidouji-san." An easy, simple reply, and it instantly set sparkles in those amethyst chambers.

"Really?" She was delighted. "Can I move my chair over so I can sit next to you?"

Eriol gave a nod, and he moved back a little so Tomoyo could shift in to his desk. She placed the working sheet on his table and brought her pencil to him.

"Question Twelve." She pointed to the complicating question at the bottom of the page. Eriol took her pencil and immediately set to work, his brains functioning at an astonishing speed that he was familiar with every time he was set to tackle questions like this.

Immediately, Tomoyo felt a smile assaulting her features. She was lucky Eriol was here to help her with these questions, or else she doubted she would ever completed them. He had always appeared as the ultimate academic genius to her and the most brilliant scholar she knew existed for a 12-year-old boy. Without trying to fathom why ( which was not possible ), she knew Eriol had beat her to the number one position each and every time in every subjects, though they were still neck to neck in several tests at time. Still, she had to bow to him for his unlimited knowledge of academy pursuit at such a young age already. She thought his mind must certainly already have beheld the equivalent of an encyclopedia even at elementary school only.

She watched on with quiet amazement as Eriol scrawled the answers effortlessly down on the paper with astounding agility. In a few minutes', he had the final answer written down on the paper, and Tomoyo was left wondering however in his mortal mind he had done it that way.

"There, I hope this is the right way." He pushed the sheet over to Tomoyo's side so she could take a better look.

It made her ponder for a few long moments, and she tried working out how he had derived at the answer.

Eriol was surprised as his amusement at Tomoyo. It seemed that this girl was one peculiar person indeed.

"Ne, Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo gave a meek look, pointing down to the question again, "I don't mean to bother you again, but can you teach me how you got this answer?"

Eriol gave an earnest smile and took the pencil from her grasp, "Actually, it's pretty easy if you picture the motion graph in your head."

Tomoyo still looked confused, and Eriol decided to start from the beginning…

"…So concluding, your answer is an accurate 194km/h." Eriol ended, staring up at Tomoyo to make sure she got the clue of it. For the past 15 minutes, he had been working on three questions with her until he made sure she got them right. Her quick ability to catch hold of the concepts had amazed him, but it seemed that his gifted Math genetics had done the same to her as well.

"Hiiragizawa-kun?" Tomoyo asked when she was in the midst of working out another one of the questions instructed by Eriol to try on to catch hold of the concept. She was working on Eriol's desk, and her new tutor waited patiently for her to get the answer. Now, at his last name's calling, he looked up.

"What is it?" He pushed up his glasses.

Tomoyo gave a childish smile all of a sudden that reminded themselves they were 12 once more doing crazy advanced Math questions that made them illusion they were 16 or so.

"You will make a good tutor for me."

He didn't know whether to laugh or feel proud or be taken aback by that thought.

Indeed, he settled on the 'Chesire' attack once more. He grinned his typical grin. "I shall take that as a compliment then, Daidouji-san."

Tomoyo let out a giggle and nodded, before finally holding up the working sheet in triumph, waving it in jubilance, "I got the answer, Hiiragizawa-kun!"

Eriol felt himself smile under her joyous presence. He took the sheet and studied it under her hopeful glance. He then nodded, "I believe you understand the concept now."

"Yes, I think so, too." She beamed, packing her working sheets. "Now I believe I'm done with Tereda-sensei's homework. Thank you for teaching me these questions."

He smiled nicely. "It was no problem."

He was surprised when she had not move her chair back. Instead, she picked up the novel on his desk.

"You are a big fan of Mozart's work." She said with a smile.

He shrugged his shoulders and offered a smile. "I guess."

She browsed through the book for a while before delivering the one-liner that threw a curveball right smack in his face.

"You are a very talented person, Hiiragizawa-kun." She said earnestly, a smile that reached her eyes, setting it twinkling with light.

Eriol thought that sentence must had knocked the breath out of him. He found it suddenly hard to breathe. No one had ever paid such a direct compliment to him before. Neither his closest kin, Nakuru or Spinel Sun, had labeled him as a talent. Even schoolmates around the place either saw him as a genius, or a piano prodigy.

But Tomoyo had noticed both sides of him.

"It's the truth." Tomoyo now look slightly abashed, but still held the equally sincerity in those amethyst orbs.

Eriol cleared his throat before pushing up his glasses once more. He decided on his cat grin attack once more to recover from his momentary daze. "Arigatou."

Tomoyo then stood up from her position and placed her chair back. Eriol hoped she hadn't sense his disappointment or abrupt dullness. He decided he didn't want to know why himself either. Tomoyo gave a quick look at the clock and immediately started packing her bag.

"Oh no, I must find Tereda-sensei now." She muttered under her breath.

Eriol said nothing, before returning back to open his novel once more. He had a few more hours to kill before the school gate would close. It was better than seeing Nakuru chuck Spinel Sun in the shower once more, flooding his bathroom with bubbles again. Either that, or the crazy chocolate cake scene that was all too familiar again.

Tomoyo interrupted him once more. She had pushed her chair in, and was smiling down at him, bowing politely.

"Arigatou once more for teaching me Math. You make a great tutor, Hiiragizawa-kun."

He returned her smile, slightly abashed by all the compliments she had showered him this afternoon. "Yes, do I get any part-time fees?"

She could not suppress her gales of giggles. Eriol thought they reminded him of silver bells. "Don't pull another Yamazaki on me, Hiiragizawa-kun."

He sat back on his chair and smiled, "I'll try."

For the first time, he could feel the barrier of distance between them shatter apart. The barricade of strangers was no more.

He found it strange to see her searching her bag once more, but was even more surprised to see her offering him a lollipop wrapped in red.

"I hope you like strawberry lollipops, because I think this is all I have in return for your time and patience." Her voice was soft and gentle again. It made him wonder however could such 12 year old like them resemble a pair of 16-year-old teenagers in a classroom. Perhaps they were both overly mature academic students that did the illusion trick.

He hadn't known if he should accept it or what, but she had already taken his hand and placed the lollipop gently inside.

"If you're going to stay behind with Mozart and his works, you'll need a little flavor to keep you going through the afternoon, ne?" Her eyes bore into his with a certain depth of gratitude to it.

"Arigatou, Hiiragizawa-kun."

And she made a run for the teachers' office.

Eriol stared blankly after her for a while before snapping to reality. Staring at the lollipop in his curled fingers, a smile lit his face half-consciously for a moment, making him feel boyish and innocent like a 12-year-old kid all over again.

Then he began unwrapping the lollipop and reopening his Mozart novel once more…

****

Owari

Author Notes:

I guess I have a weird obsession with writing ExT in their 12s. It's weirder that I like writing them in an empty classroom of 5-2 all the time. But oh well, I hope Eriol do certainly like lollipops!

chiri no tenshi


End file.
